Low Energy Laser Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 1 January 1994
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology
- Vol. 23 (3) , 145-147
- https://doi.org/10.3109/03009749409103048
Abstract
Low energy laser (LEL) is a widely used treatment for a variety of musculoskeletal disorders although convincing documentation of the effect is missing. We have examined the LEL effect on Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in a double blind placebo controlled study. Twenty-two patients completed the study (10 receiving LEL treatment) according to the protocol. A significant effect on pain score was found due to LEL treatment, but when data were corrected for disease variation the effect disappeared. No effect of LEL could be demonstrated on the other assessed variables: grip strength, morning stiffness, flexibility, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP). In conclusion, we did not find that LEL had any clinically relevant effects on RA.Keywords
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